With a Devoted Heart

I've had the word reverence floating around in my brain for several weeks now.  It's an old fashioned word; people don't use it much these days.  We lean more into words like admiration, esteem and worship.  They are great words, and I don't think they have the depth of meaning that reverence has.  Since I've started contemplating all the ins and outs of holding God in reverence,  I've read His word with a fresh perspective. 

I recently read Acts 11:19-26.  It's about the church in Antioch.  Luke tells us that when the believers were scattered after Stephen's stoning, some of them ended up in Antioch.  They shared the good news of Jesus, and they stepped out of the box of only sharing with the Jews, proclaiming the good news to Greeks!  That's quite a radical move!  Didn't they know that there are boundaries one is supposed to live in?!  Evidently not, and it's a good thing for us today since we have benefitted from that out-of-the-box thinking.  Reaching out to the Greeks back then, meant that those of us today, who are not from a Jewish lineage, have been welcomed into the family.  That little bit of scripture made my brain give a little "ding-ding-ding!" as I began to process who is outside of my typical box of interaction.  Boxes are safe places, and I sensed God nudging me a bit to think outside of my risk-free zone.  I'm still ruminating on that; I'm listening for God's direction.

I continued to read the story in Acts. The church in Jerusalem hears what those out-of-the-box thinkers are doing in Antioch and so they send Barnabas to go check things out.  It's a wise move for an organization to make sure all affiliates are behaving within the scope of the groups stated mission.  I love what happens next.  Barnabas doesn't see problems or the possible long term effects and consequences of reaching outside the box.  Barnabas sees "the grace of God."  I want to be like that.  I want to see things and events that make me squirmy and uncomfortable and look beyond the direct circumstance in front of me. I want to see God's grace reaching into, around and beyond what makes me panicky on the inside. 

It gets better.

Scripture tells us Barnabas was "glad and encouraged all of them to remain true to the Lord with devoted hearts."  (Acts 11:23, CSB)  This is were my brain really went "ding-ding-ding!"  It's like my mind lit up with a neon sign flashing "Reverence! Reverence! Reverence!"  God's Spirit pointed out a couple of details tucked in between the lines. 

The first detail I noticed is when you step out of the box, tough temptations will soon come calling.  In light of that, it makes so much sense that Barnabas would encourage them to stay true to the Lord.  I know that in my out-of-the-box moments I get energized and excited and have a tendency to rush ahead of where God is leading.  That too-fast-forward movement makes it highly possible for me to go somewhere God doesn't want me to go, or isn't ready for me to go there yet. 

Then God led me to focus on the phrase: "stay true to the Lord."  Stay: remain with Him.  Dwell where He chooses to be.  Stand in the grace God has given.  Step out of the box, but don't travel out of bounds.  Stay true:  remember what is Truth.  Be consistent with what the Word says.  Listen to the Holy Spirit.  Value the knowledge of others who are deep in their faith.  Remain Devoted:  hold God in reverence.  Worship Him with adoration.  Recognize your desperate need for the blood of Jesus.  Be thankful for all that God gives and provides.  Do all things in the name of Jesus, esteeming and honoring the very essence of who Christ is. 

It's fascinating to me how God's Word speaks such power and encouragement in one verse.  I'll be honest, I'm not currently doing anything, or living in any way, that someone would define as living "outside the box."  It's not my usual mode of operation.  I may be more playful than some, and  probably more exuberant than most, and I still live a fairly predictable life.  And ~ God is challenging me to step outside my predetermined secure boundary lines and relax into reverence.  He's revealing to my heart that being brave enough to live adventurously for Him is anchored in holding Him in constant holy awe.  Who would've thought that reverence, a word that conjures up quiet solemn sanctuaries would be the open door to wild and free living in Jesus?

"Come, let us shout joyfully to the Lord, shout triumphantly to the rock of our salvation!  Let us enter his presence with thanksgiving; let us shout triumphantly to him in song.  For the Lord is a great God, a great King above all gods.  The depths of the earth are in his hand, and the mountain  peaks are his.  The sea is his; he made it.  His hands formed the dry land.  Come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.  For he is our God, and we are the  people of his pasture, the sheep under his care."  Psalms 95:1-7 (CSB)